Common Computer Problem Solution Guide for Microsoft Systems

By Christopher Whitehead

Table of Contents
Warning!......................................................................................................................................... v Introduction.................................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1: Causes of Computer Problems .............................................................................. 2 Chapter 2: Cleaning and Maintaining Your Computer ........................................................... 4 Chapter 3: Common Computer Problems and Their Solution .............................................. 6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 10 Index ............................................................................................................................................. 12 Glossary ....................................................................................................................................... 14 Bibliography................................................................................................................................. 16

Warning

Warning!
Before proceeding you should backup all your personal files. If your computer is permanently damaged and becomes unresponsive then you will have to restore the computer to its original state. To do so requires a backup of personal files. If you feel like you cannot follow the instructions in this manual without damaging your computer, call a computer specialist.

Introduction

vii

Introduction
We use computers every day of our lives for work, school, pleasure, and entertainment. We have become somewhat dependent on these machines. And when they dont work a lot of frustration and energy is wasted trying to cope with a problematic computer. Therefore I have made a simple manual to inform how anyone can fix common computer problems. This manual will hopefully allow anyone to quickly identify the problem and execute the proper solution

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Causes of Computer Problems

There are many things that can cause computer problems. The list below will show the most common causes for computer problems Virus: A computer virus or worm is a self-replicating program that can spread by email or by inserting copies of itself into other programs or documents. Most viruses or worms are malicious programs designed to infect and gain control over a computer without the owners knowledge (What are computer viruses, and how to avoid them). They can spread via email and downloadable content from the internet. Too many programs are running: The more programs that you run the less efficient your computer becomes. This isnt just for programs that you can see. There are programs running in the background as well. Spyware and adware can cause this problem. Spyware and adware: Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet (where it is sometimes called a spybot or tracking software), spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program (Rouse). And adware is software that downloads and uses advertising software while a user browses the internet. Browser Problems: Or known as Browser hijacks. This is when malicious software such as a virus or some other software like adware or spyware changes the settings of you internet browser. The symptoms of this problem include your default home page being set to a different webpage, a slowdown of performance in your computer, new toolbars in your browser, and popups occurring even with the browser closed. Damaged Operating System: The operating system is what allows you to use your computer. If it wasnt for the OS (operating system) you wouldnt be able to access anything. If the OS is damaged you will usually know. The symptoms include the blue screen of death, registry errors, text screens displayed at boot up, and the computer not booting up.

Memory and fragmented disks: A computer relies on its memory to access information and
to process commands. If your computer has too much of its memory being used then this can slow the computer down. Also if the hard drive disk is fragmented or not organized the computer will take longer to process commands than if the hard drive was un-fragmented.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Cleaning and Maintaining Your Computer

To prevent your computer from contracting a virus, spyware, adware, and becoming slow you must maintain your computer and make sure it is cleaned regularly. Below are some steps you can take to clean and maintain your computer. Updates: Whenever you turn on your computer you should check and see if any updates for your computer are available. You will usually know by a popup saying updates are ready or would you like to install updates to your computer or the updates will automatically be installed. If you do have the option of updating you should, because the updates being installed on your computer will have new information that the computer can use to increase its performance. Ccleaner: Ccleaner is software that you can download and use to delete un- needed files and registry keys. This will usually speed up your computer and keep it clean. Antivirus Software: There are many antivirus softwares that one could use on their computer. There are the popular commercial ones like Norton, Kaspersky, McAfee and so on. However there are free antivirus software that can work just as well as the big ones. Like Microsoft antivirus, AVG etc. Whatever antivirus software you choose you must make sure to run the software every once and a while. Defragging: Your computer has a hard drive that stores information and when this information is stored it may or may not be stored in the right place. If your hard drive has information that is not organized then that means it is fragmented. This can cause your computer to run slowly. To prevent this you will want to make sure that your hard drive is un-fragmented. You can do this by clicking the start button, then type Disk defragmenter into the search bar RAM: RAM is Random Access Memory. It allows your computer to run more than one program at once. The more RAM you have the faster your computer will be. msconfig: msconfig is a tool that you can use to adjust what programs start up when your computer boots up. You can access msconfig by clicking the windows button, typing msconfig into the search bar and hitting the enter button.

Common Computer Problems and Their Solution

Chapter 3: Common Computer Problems and Their Solution

Below you will see the most common computer problems and how you can solve them. 1. Solution for any computer problem. If you begin to experience a problem with your computer the first thing you should do is restart your computer. It sounds simple but this method can help a lot. 2. Your computer is too slow. Make sure that your computer is the actual source of your problem. Sometimes it is easy to mistake a slow loading video to be caused by something wrong with the computer itself when it is actually a problem with a broadband connection. If the problem is your computer then make sure that you have plenty of free space on your hard drive. You can also use msconfig to make sure that there are not too many programs running when your computer boots up. Or else your computer will boot very slowly, especially if its an old computer. When you are on msconfig you will want err on the side of caution. Because some critical files and programs that are required to run your computer correctly are accessible here. So you should probably stay away from the services tab and any program that has Microsoft in its name. 3. Slow downloading. If your computer takes forever to download anything you should first go to speedtest.net to test your connection. Ideally your upload and download speeds should be at least 50 percent of your internet providers advertised speed and your ping should be below 100. If your speed seems fine then you should check to see if you are downloading anything else in the background for this can cause slower downloading. If that doesnt work you should check and see if your network card needs to be updated. Old network cards wont be able to process as much information as newer cards. Lastly you should try to disconnect your modem or router then reconnect it to see if that was problem. If all else fails you should contact your internet service provider. 4. Pop-ups are appearing on my desktop. If you have this problem chances are you have installed adware onto your computer. To get rid of adware you will have to run your antivirus software to get rid of it. If that doesnt

Common Computer Problems and Their Solution work you should install and run specific software to get rid of programs like spyware, adware, and malware. If all else fails you could perform a complete system reinstall. If you have to do this then make sure you backup your personal files. 5. My program wont work on my computer. If this happens, your computer probably does not have the sufficient specifications to run your program. This usually happens if new software is run on old computer operating systems. The only way to get around this is to get an up to date computer.

Common Computer Problems and Their Solution

Conclusion

10

Conclusion
Hopefully by now you should understand at least a little more on how a computer works and what causes problems in a computer and how to fix them. However, if you still dont understand and everything youve tried hasnt worked to solve your computer problem then you should call a specialist to fix it for you.

Index

12

Index
Virus iii, 2, 4, 6 RAM iii, 4 Antivirus Software iii, 4, 6 Ccleaner iii, 4 Msconfig 4, 6 Spyware iii, 2, 4, 8 Adware 2, 4, 8 Operating System 2, 8 Fragmented disk iii, 2, 4

Glossary

14

Glossary
Antivirus Software: Software designed to prevent and terminate any malicious programs on a computer. RAM: Memory that a computer can access randomly while it is turned on. If the computer is turned off all memory stored on the RAM drive will be deleted. Virus: A malicious program designed to harm a computer. Ccleaner: A program designed to clean a computer. Msconfig: A tool the user can use to manage what programs can or cannot run on a computer. Spyware: Software that is designed to collect data on the user of a computer. Adware: Software that is designed to show pop up ads on a computer without the users approval. Fragmented disk: a disk or hard drive in a computer that doesnt have the information it stores organized. Operating System (OS): the software that is required for a user to interact with the computer

Bibliography

16

Bibliography
"What are computer viruses, and how to avoid them."www.runbox.com. N.p.. Web. 18 Nov 2013. <https://runbox.com/email-school/what-are-computer-viruses-and-how-to-protect-againstthem/>. Rouse, Margaret. "Spyware." Search Security. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2013. <http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/spyware>.